Ribbon package and packaging method



May '7, 1968 D. J. LASHER ET AL 3,381,810

RIBBON PACKAGE AND PACKAGING METHOD Filed May 5, 1966 FIGGS 42 46 4s -25 INVENTORS.

DELMAR J. LASHER FINLEY Y. WILLS ATTORNEY.

Unit

3,381,810 Patented May 7, 1968 3,381,810 REBON PACKAGE AND PACKAGING NETHOD Delmar J. Lasher, Lexington, and Finley Y. Wills, Winchester, Ky., assignors to International Business Machines Corporation, Armonk, N.Y., a corporation of New York Filed May 5, 1966, Ser. No. 547,976 12 Claims. (Cl. 206-52) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A wrap-around carton for packaging typewriter ribbon cartridges is disclosed. The carton is a single piece blank which can be assembled by machine or hand. It comprises integral key tabs for accurately locating the cartridge within the carton, tabs for preventing unwinding of the ribbon, and means for protecting the exposed portion of the typewriter ribbon.

We have invented a wrap-around ribbon carton that is amenable to either hand or machine assembly, and includes means for protecting the exposed portion of the ribbon, means for preventing unwinding of the ribbon, and is provided entirely from a simple, single piece paperboard blank.

In US Patent 2,986,260 entitled, Ribbon Mechanism, issued in the name of W. B. Whippo, May 30, 1961, there is disclosed a cartridge for a pair of ribbon spools suitable for plug-in insertion on a typewriter. The cartridge is characterized by providing a freely rotatable mounting for the pair of spools such that the spools may be driven by typewriter mechanism in either direction. A span of ribbon between the spools is exposed outside of the cartridge for insertion in the ribbon guide mechanism of the typewriter. Sale and delivery of these rib bon cartridges requires, as a practical matter, some form of package to retain the spools stationary, and prevent unwinding thereof, and to shield the exposed span of ribbon. It is important to shield the ribbon span not only due to clean handling considerations, but to prevent the ribbon from transferring a substantial amount of its ink to any material coming in contact with it over a large area. Depletion of ink even at one portion of the ribbon can cause a typing failure before the ribbon has fulfilled its useful life.

One form of package for a ribbon cartridge is disclosed in US. Patent 3,074,545, entitled Container, issued in the name of D. J. Lasher, Jan. 22, 1963. That package included a transparent so-called blister pack having key projections that retained the cartridge in a spaced relation from the package walls and prevented unwinding of the spools. The particular blister pack construction, however, involves relatively expensive materials and is not readily amenable to machine assembly,

Accordingly, it has been an object of our invention to provide a paperboard carton for packaging articles, such as a typewriter ink ribbon cartridge, that adequately retains ribbon spools against unwinding and shields any exposed ribbon.

A broader object of our invention has been to devise and develop a carton for packaging articles having spe cific carton position requirements and that is particularly amenable to mechanized production methods.

A further object of our invention has been to devise and develop a carton for packaging an article having specific position requirements relative thereto, and including integrally formed locating means for assisting both in assembly of the package and retention of the article after assembly.

The carton of our invention comprises basically a wrap-around tubular sleeve that covers the top, bottom, and opposed sides of a ribbon cartridge. The ribbon cartridge includes in its sidewalls a pair of vertical locating slots by which it is mounted on a typewriter during use. We have provided a pair of integrally formed key tabs in the sidewalls of our package to engage these cartridge slots and thereby securely hold the cartridge Within the package during shipping. The key tabs have been specifically constructed to have a stable geometry and thereby provide adequate reliability. The stability is obtained by forming the key tabs by cuts across the sleeve sidewalls to form an asymmetric projection into the sleeve interior. The key tabs are also made stable by providing one portion thereof of a Wider and, hence, stronger section to reinforce the basic asymmetry of the tab.

In addition to providing a stable retaining mechanism in use, the key tab construction of our invention aids in assembly of the package by presenting vertically extending guide columns to assist in proper location of the cartridge within the partially assembled package.

The package, having key tabs to locate the cartridge and retain it in position, is thereby made capable of providing the other packaging requirements. We have provided foldover tabs that engage the interior opening of the ribbon spools to prevent excessive rotation and unwinding thereof. The foldover tabs in and of themselves are inadequate to retain the cartridge in position. In addition, our package is provided with a foldover leaf that provides a shield for the exposed span of inked ribbon. The shield is prevented from contacting the ribbon over a significantly large area by its geometry and the fact that the key tabs retain the cartridge in position relative to the shield. It can be seen that other positioncritical operative components can be provided in our package due to the key tabs thereof. For example, a window for displaying a specific label can be provided with assurance that the label, being an integral part of the cartridge, is held in visible alignment with the window.

These and other objects, features, and advantages of our invention will be demonstrated and more apparent from the following description of a preferred embodiment of our invention wherein particular reference is made to the accompanying drawings, of which:

FIGURE 1 is a plan or developed view of a carton blank constructed in accordance with our invention;

FIGURE 2 is an assembly view of a ribbon cartridge and a partially assembled carton in accordance with our invention;

FIGURES 3 and 4 are similar operational views show ing a feature of our carton during its assembly and taken along lines III-III of FIGURE 2;

FIGURE 5 is cross-sectional view of an assembled cartridge and carton in accordance with our invention taken along lines VV of FIGURE 2.

In FIGURE 1 there is shown a preformed wrap-around paperboard carton or package blank 10 for wrapping a typewriter ink ribbon cartidge 20 or similar article having a casing 21. As shown in FIGURE 2, the blank 10 is assemblable to form a tubular sleeve having a top or base wall 11, a bottom or base wall provided by edge overlapping leaves or flaps 12 and 13 and opposed side or edge walls 14. The overlapping leaves 12 and 13 are I glued or otherwise fastened along a zone 13a leaving a free lift tab portion 13b to facilitate tearing the carton from the cartridge 20. The carton is formed by bending the blank 10 inwardly along a first pair of parallel lines, scores or creases 15 defining wall intersections that are separated by a distance 16 that is substantially equal to the width 22 of the cartridge casing 21, and bending along lines, scores or creases 17, defining further wall intersections which are each parallel to and respectively spaced from lines 15 by a distance 18 that is approximately equal to the vertical height 23 of the cartridge casing 21.

As shown in FIGURES 2 and 5, the cartridge casing 21 is provided with opposed alignment or locating notches, slots or grooves 24 formed in its sides 25 and extending between the top and bottom casing surfaces 26 and 27. A groove 24 is also shown in the partial vertical crosssectional view of FIGURES 3 and 4. Returning to FIG- URE 1, it is seen that the blank is provided with two pairs of adjacent cut lines 31, each pair defining a key tab 30 therebetween. Each key tab 30 has a first or control portion 32 and a second or locking portion 33 joined by a bend line, score or crease 34 therebetween. The control portion 32 commences at the respective one of the bend lines 17 and tapers inwardly to the bend line 34 to provide a short, wide portion relative to the locking portion 33. The locking portion 33 continues from the bend line 34 beyond the respective bend line to an inset bend line, score or crease 35. The length of the locking portion 33 is approximately equal to the distance 18 between adjacent bend lines 15 and 17. The amount of olfset between bend lines 35 and respective bend lines 15 is approximately equal to the longitudinal extent of the control portion 32. As shown in FIGURES 2 and 3, the key tab 30 projects inwardly of a cavity C formed in a partially formed carton with the leaves 12 and 13 bent outwardly along bend lines 17. The dimensional relation of the key tab first and second portions 32 and 33 causes the second portion to extend inwardly offset from, and substantially parallel to, its associated sidewall 14. The key tabs 30 thus are in a convenient configuration for receiving the grooves 24 and guiding the cartridge into its required location within the carton. After the cartridge 20 has been placed within the carton as shown in FIG- URES 2 and 3, the overlapping leaves 12 and 13 are bent inwardly as shown by arrows A to complete the sleeve. During the inward bending, the control portion 32 of the key tab 30 pivots about its respective bend line 17 to a position outwardly of the sleeve as shown in FIGURE 4. The locking portion 33 remains in active holding engagement with its associated groove 24 to retain the cartridge 20 in its placed position within the carton.

The under or bottom surface 27 of the cartridge casing 21 is shown in FIGURE 5 exposing axial openings 41 of the ribbon spools or hubs 42 concealed therewithin. The openings 41 are presented exteriorly of the cartridge casing 21 and have typical projections and other radial surfaces such as 43 and 44 to provide for driving engagement by suitable typewriter mechanism (not shown).

The key tabs 30 provide secure and adequate location of the cartridge 20 within the carton to permit a pair of foldover tabs or projections 50 to operatively engage the inner surface of spool openings 41 and prevent significant rotation of the ribbon spools 42. The tabs 50 are preferably erected at the same time as the blank is bent to the shape shown in FIGURE 2, thereby making the entire carton ready to cooperatively receive the cartridge 20 upon its insertion. As also shown in FIGURE 5, the bottom surface 27 of the cartridge casing 21 is provided with an identifying label 45 that may specify, for example, the color fabric type, code number, etc., of the contained ribbon. A window or cutout portion 60 is provided in the carton to lie operatively over the label 45 and thereby make it visible. Again, the effectiveness of the window 60 is insured by the key tabs 30 which control the position of a cartridge to within the carton.

Returning to FIGURE 2, it is seen that the ribbon cartridge 20 provides a span of inked ribbon 46 exterior to the cartridge casing 21. This exposed span of ribbon is provided to permit use of the ribbon cartridge 20 directly without disassembly. As explained above, this ribbon span must be shielded for clean handling considerations and to prevent local depletion of ink that could cause premature typing failure. We have provided a foldover flap or shield plate 70 in the carton blank 10 having a vertical length 71 that exceeds the carton height, represented by distance 18. Accordingly, the shield, once bent to position Within the carton, will remain there and be operative to protect the ribbon span. The shield plate 70 is capable of contacting the ribbon span 46 only at its outer edge and across a very limited portion due to the retention of the cartridge 26 in position by the key tabs 30. Accordingly, the possibility of ink depletion is virtually eliminated. As an added measure of protection, however, the inner surface of the shield plate 70 is protected with a polyvinylchloride coating which is well known to the art, to further inhibit transfer of ink from the ribbon 46.

The carton and cartridge are assembled first by providing a blank 10 as shown in FIGURE 1 and bending it to a preliminary position, either by hand or by suitable machine, to a position as shown in FIGURE 2. The cartridge 20 then can be dropped or placed into the cavity C with the guidance of key tabs 30 such that it properly cooperates with the projections 50, the window 60, and the ribbon shield 70. The cartridge is then sealed by folding leaves 12 and 13 inwardly and gluing, or otherwise sealing them together.

It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that we have provided a simply constructed, but eflicient and secure carton for either manual or mechanized packaging of articles like the typewriter ribbon cartridge herein described. It will be understood that various modifications, additions, and deletions can be made from the specific em bodiment herein disclosed without departing from the scope of our invention. For example, where an article to be packaged has no alignment slots, but has corner edge portions, the key tabs can be formed at the four corners of the package in a manner similar to that herein disclosed, to provide a similar locating and retaining packaging result.

Having disclosed our inventive concept and a specific preferred embodiment thereof, we claim:

1. A wrap-around carton containing a typewriter ribbon cartridge having opposed sides including alignment notches, the carton being made from a single piece of paperboard wrapped around the top, bottom, and said opposed sides of the article and fastened along overlapping edges into a tubular form having opposed base walls and opposed sidewalls, said sidewalls each having:

a key tab formed therein for positionally retaining the article within the carton, said key tabs being provided by cut lines extending transversely across their associated sidewalls from the intersection thereof with one of said base walls to a position on the other base wall beyond the intersection of the associated sidewall therewith.

2. A wrap-around carton containing a typewriter ribbon cartridge as defined in claim 1 wherein each of said key tabs comprises a first portion and a second portion, the first portion of each key tab being short and wide relative to the second portion thereof and commencing at the intersection of the associated sidewall with said one base wall.

3. A wrap-around carton containing a typewriter ribbon cartridge as defined in claim 2 wherein said second portion of each key tab has a length that is substantially equal to the distance between said opposed base walls.

4. A wrap-around carton as defined in claim 1 wherein said key tabs are each provided by a pair of adjacent cut lines.

5. A wrap-around carton containing a typewriter ribbon cartridge as defined in claim 1 wherein said cartridge further includes at least one rotatable spool having inked ribbon wound thereon, said spool having an axial opening therein presented exteriorly of the cartridge, and said carton includes at least one foldover tab positionally located relative to said key tabs for engaging said spool opening to prevent significant rotation of said spool.

6. A wrap-around carton containing a typewriter ribbon cartridge as defined in claim 1 wherein said typewriter cartridge further comprises a casing, a pair of spools located inside said casing and having an inked ribbon extending therebetween at least partially exterior of said casing, said carton further comprising a shield portion supported thereby and overlaying said ink ribbon, said shield being positioned relative to said key tabs to prevent significant contact between said inked ribbon and said shield.

7. A wrap-around carton containing a typewriter ribbon cartridge as defined in claim 6 wherein said spools have axial openings therein presented exteriorly of the cartridge, and said carton includes at least one foldover tab positionally located relative to said key tabs for engaging one of said spool openings to prevent significant rotation of said engaged spool.

8. The method of packaging an article having a top, a bottom, and opposed sides, the sides including locating notches therein, comprising the steps of:

providing a preformed paperboard sheet-like carton blank, said blank being bendable along a first pair of parallel lines separated by approximately the distance between the article sides, the blank being further bendable along a second pair of lines parallel to said first pair, and each separated from a respective one of said first pair by approximately the distance between the article top and bottom, the blank further having longitudinal cut lines defining a plurality of key tabs integral therewith, said cut lines extending from a position between said first pair of bending lines to the respectively associated one of said second pair of bending lines;

bending said blank inwardly along said first pair of bending lines and outwardly along said second pair of bending lines to present a cavity with said key tabs projecting inwardly thereof,

placing the article in said cavity with its locating notches in cooperative engagement with said key tabs; and

folding said blank inwardly along said second pair of bending lines to form a sleeve about the article. 9. The method of packaging an article as defined, in claim 8 further comprising:

providing in said key tabs of said blank a first portion commencing at said second pair of bending lines and a second portion commencing at said position between said first pair of bending lines, said first portion being short and wide relative to said second portion. 10. The method of packaging an article as defined in claim 9 further comprising:

providing the second portion of each of said key tabs with a length that is substantially equal to the distance between one of said first bending lines and the respective one of said second bending lines. 11. The method of packaging an article as defined in claim 8 further comprising:

providing said blank with a pair of adjacent cut lines to define each key tab. 12. The method of packaging an article as defined in claim 8 further comprising:

providing said blank with an operative portion for cooperating positionally with the article, said key tabs providing means for accurately locating and holding the article in position relative to said operative portion of package.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,136,823 11/1938 Pierce 20646 2,292,721 8/1942 Stanton 206-72 2,501,609 3/ 1950 Midhouhas 206 2,950,854 8/1960 Ganz 22940 3,075,627 1/1963 Kuckoff 20652 3,106,288 10/1963 Bolding 20652 3,111,222 11/1963 Mueller 20645.31 3,233,726 2/1966 Gero 206-45.31

WILLIAM T. DIXSON, 112., Primary Examiner. 

